Protector for covers of loose leaf binders



May 14, 1935.

F. C. BINGHAM F LOOSE LEAF BINDERS PROTECTOR FOR COVERS 0 Filed May 28, 1934 2 Sheets-Shae"v 1 \NVENTOR FREDERICK C. BINGHAM .BY H15 ATTo mzvs May 14, 1935. Q BlNGHAM 2,001,651

OR COVERS OF LOOSE LEAF BINDERS PROTECTOR F 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 28, 1934 INVENTOR FREDERICK c. BINGHAM BY HIS ATTORNEYS Patented May 14, 1935 UNITED STATES PROTECTOR FOR COVERS OF LOOSE LEAF BINDERS Frederick C. Bingham,

to Boorum & Pease New York, N. Y., assignor Company, a corporation of New York Brooklyn, N. Y.,

Application May 28, 1934, Serial No. 728,003

9 Claims.

This invention relates to devices designed to protect covers, especially flexible covers of loose leaf ring books, from deformation by pressure of the metal rings upon the relatively pliant material of the cover.

' It has been the custom in the art for many years to try to meet this metal cover against which the arcs of the rings strike. However, it has been the practice to build such protectors into the binder in the process of manufacture, as shown for example in the patent to Dawson No. 966,806, granted August 9, 1910, and in the patent to Murphy No. 1,818,999, granted August 18, 1931.

The object of the present invention is to providea practical protector which can be made separately from the binder. Making the protector separable from the binder has the great advantage of economy in cost of manufacture of the binder, as the process of incorporating the protector into the binder during the manufacture thereof is relatively expensive. It also has the further'advantage that protectors can be supplied for binders which have already been manufactured without such protectors, and can be inserted easily into the binder by the most inexperienced user thereof. It has the further advantage that it will not interfere in any way with'the sheets in the binder and will be effective as a protection to the the number of sheets in the binder, or of whetherthere are any sheets in the binder.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, of which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a loose leaf binder showing one of the improved protectors in operative position therein.

Figure 2 is an end section of a binder in closed position showing a pair of the protectors there- 1n.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the protector in broken section, partially broken away to show the construction thereof.

Figure 4 is an end view of the protector.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the protector, partially broken away, illustrating its cooperation with the rings of a book.

Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 5, showing a slight modification.

The protector I includes a strip H having sufficient rigidity to resist deformation by pressure of rings 20 in a well-known type of ring book, such as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

As shown in the drawings, the protector 10 cover, regardless of comprises two relatively rigid strips II and I2 hinged together-at 13, one of the strips being perforated at [4 to receive and fit closely upon the wires comprising rings 20 of the well-known ring book. I

In Figure 1 is shown such a ring book having the usual rings 20 and flexible cover-2l. One of the improved protectors I0 is shown installed on one side of the book. of the. book are shown the usual loose leaves 22 perforated at 23, and the usual flipper or leaf protector, 24 perforated at flip loosely upon the rings 20.

Figure 2 shows how the strip II which is more rigid than the pliant cover .2], prevents the rings 20 from sinking into and deforming the cover at the portion 21,.where thearc of the ringwould otherwise bear against the cover.

As shownparticularly in Fig. the perforations I 4 in the improved protector are of the same shape as a cross-section of the ring 20 upon which the protector is inserted, and the perforations in the protector are of such size and shape that they fit so closely about the circumference of the wires comprising rings 20 that the protector does not tend to move relatively to the rings of the book unless force is exerted upon it by the operator of the book for the purpose of moving or removing it. In Fig. 5 the perforations M in the strip 12 and cross-section of the ring 20 are shown as elliptical.

Figure 6 is similar to Figure 5' except that it shows ring 200 having a circular cross-section and a perforated strip 120 in which the perforation I40 is the same shape, circular, and of substantially the same diameter as the cross-section of the ring 200. a

The close fit between the rings 20 and the protector ID in contrast with the necessarily loose fit between the rings and the leaves 22 is shown in Fig. 1. The leaves 22 are and must be so perforated at 23 as to fit the rings loosely in order to allow the leaves to move freely along the arc of the ring. On the other hand, the strip I2 of the protector I0 is perforated at M in such a way that it fits closely upon the wire comprising ring 20, thus eliminating relative movement between the two, in the absence of force supplied by the operator.

In using the improved protector the rings 20 of the loose leaf book are opened and half rings 19 on one side of the book are threaded into the several perforations M in. the strip I 2 of one of the protectors. The strip I2 is then pushed down to the base of the rings until it On the other side 25 to enable it to vrests against the back I the cover 2| hinge H which may metal 26 of the book. In this position the hinge l3 will enable the other strip ll of the protector to interpose itself between the cover 2| and the place 21 where the arc of the ring 20 would otherwise touch and deform the cover 2| of the book.

Due to the closeifit ,between theperforated strip l2 and the rings of the book, the protector will remain at the base of the rings asshown in Figures 1 and 2 so that the strip ll of the protector will automatically assume the position shown in Figure from the ring 20, regardless of whether or not there are any, sheets in the binder.

A simple and economical embodiment of the protector is illustrated in the drawings and is especially clearly shown in Figures-3 and 4."

Strips II and I2 are made of any sufficiently rigidmaterial to resist deformation caused 'by the pressure'against themof the rings 20 of the loose leaf book. They'maybe conveniently made of light weight flexible steel or other suitable material. They are secured together by a be of any desired construction. Aparticularly economical construction is to form the hinge of the same material which forms the covering l5 of the protector. Any strong flexible material, such as imitation leather, or textile fabric,'may be used to form the covering I5 and also a flexible fabric hinge at I3. In this form, the somewhat rigid strips H and are spaced apart, and the covering I5 is glued or" otherwise secured to both sides of said, spaced apart strips II and I2, forming the hinge I3 between them.

I claim: 1 I

'1. A device forprotecting a cover of a loose leaf binder'from rings of said binder, comprising strips hingedly connected, one strip being perforated to receive and fit, closely about the circumference of the wire comprising rings of a loose leaf binder, and the other strip being somewhat rigid.

2. A device for protecting a cover of. a loose leaf binder from rings of said binder, comprising somewhat rigidstrips hinged together, one of said strips being perforated to receive and. fit closely about the circumference of the wire comprising rings of a loose leaf book.

' 3. A loose leaf binder having a cover and rings in combination with a protector to protect said cover from said rings said protector being removable from said rings and comprising strips hingedly connected, one of said strips being perforated and the other strip being somewhat rigid, the distance between perforations being equal to the distance between rings, a cross-sec- 2 and be available to protect I cover from said rings,

are of the ring tion of said rings having substantially the same shape and dimensions as the perforations.

4. A loose leaf binder having a cover and rings in combination with a protector to protect said cover from said rings, said protector being removable from said rings and comprising somewhat rigid strips hinged together, one of said strips being perforated, the distance between perforations being equal to the distance between .rings, a cross-section of said rings having substantially the same shape and dimensions as the perforations. V 1

'5. A loose leaf binder having a cover and cooperating half rings incombination with a protector readilyremovable from said rings and comprising somewhat rigid strips hinged together, one of said strips being so perforated that it will receive andflt tightly upon the half rings on one side of the book, and the other strip being of such width that it will lie between the arcof the corresponding half ring and the cover of .the'binder at the point where the arc and'the cover touch.

6. 'A device for protecting a cover of a loose leaf binder from rings of said binder, comprising somewhat rigid strips spaced apart andflexible material forming a hinge between said strips, one of said strips being perforated to receive and fitclosely upon the wire comprising rings of a loose leaf book.

111:7; A device for protecting acover of a loose leaf binder from rings of said binder, comprising somewhat rigid stripsspaced apart and flexible material covering said stripsand forming a hinge between said strips, one of said strips being perforated to receive and fit closely upon the wire comprising rings of a loose leaf book.,

8. 'Aloose leaf binder having a cover and rings incombination with aprotector to protect said cover from said rings, said protector beingremovable from said rings, and, comprising somewhatsrigid strips spaced-apart and flexible .material forming a hinge between said strips, one of said strips being perforated at intervalsequal to-the-distancebetween the rings; the cross-section of said rings having substantially thesame shape and dimensions as the perforations.

. 9. Aloose leaf binder having, a cover and .rings in, combination with'a protector to protect said said protector being re; movable fromsaid rings and comprising somewhat rigid strips hinged together, one of said strips being -,so' perforated that it will receive and fit tightly upon the circumferencejof the wire comprising said rings, and the other strip being of such width thatv it will lie between the and the cover of the binder at the arc'and the cover:touch.

the point where l FREDERICK C.'.BINGHAM. 

